Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-12-18
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
A Glance al the Manifold Attractions Of the
Holidays.
SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Seen by a Reporter Who Took in the Retail
Stores.
POINTERS FOR The COMING WEEK.

4 NAAo "
peIs who had set apart the day to do their
holiday buying. The result wa that al
though there was an immense crowd upon
the streets last evening, sales were not
what they would have been had the wealth
er been better under foot" and some of
the merchants in the retail trade were dis
posed to do a little grumbling. But, as q
whole, there has been no real cause for
complaint as to the volume of business
transacted, and with the six days Of the
coming week before them, business men
have no cause to lament.
With the splendid array Of articles suit
able for presents displayed this year, the
time honored and beautiful custom of be
slowing gifts upon relatives and friends
promises to be more prevalent this day a
week than ever before To a reporter who
made a tour of the city a day or two ago,
il certainly seemed as though there had
never before been so great o proyocation to
spend money in the purchase OF presents.
Whether the shopper be in toy bazaar.
book store, jewelers., dry goods store, orany
other OF the score Of retail places through
out the city, he or she, as the case may be,
is sure to be early struck with the idea
that more taste and care has been taken IN
selectingthe stocks than ever before. THERE'S
10 doubt of the fact, end there are several
reasons why it is so, chief among them be-
ing that our people, year by year, grow In
their appreciation of the beautiful, n
have an increased desire to surround them
selves with objects and articles in which
| fine materials and artistic forms are the
| chief components. This evidence of cult
walton and refinement is met by e distinct
and very apparent rise in the standard OF
everything offered for sale by u mer-
chants, from toys to gold watches and edl-
tions de lure, and best of all, this Is &C
complished without any very large increase
in the amount of cash expended by put
chasers. 1t is true that the fine fabric or
the handsomely bound volume or the me-
chaniealtOy costs a little more than the sort
of thing bought in the SINE line q few
wears ago, but one good and really hand
some present nov takes the place of the
two or three given in former years, when
the donor was harassed by a feeling that
he ought TO be ashamed to make such q
| VIII, DuI COuoClOu5 lhtl hO "to PuiNANSAHS
the best the town afforded, sought TO make
up in tine size OF his package what the con-
tents lacked in real merit. And thus there ID
more satisfaction to both him that givesand
him that receives. Result, a decided net in
crease in the sun total of human hsppi-
ness.
The reporter who was delegated to make
a tour of the retail stores, and write up an
outline Of what he saw, came back to the
Office not only bankrupt, as far as ready
cash is concerned, but carried on his mind
a load of debt which was only exceeded
by the package he bore on his back. lie
was but human, and had fallen into max
ing purchases, like the rest. From his
notes the following was CLEANED:
Among the jewellers, the array OF beau
tiful presents seems to be without limit.
Especially are their cases we'll stocked
with novelties in the way of articles OF
personal adornment. For instance, there
was a scarf pin in the form of a golden
hurdle, over which a bit Of oxidized sill
yer was thrown, while another article OF
the same kind took the form OF an antique
coin, of copper, held in position by
three small gold cubes. A cham
payne cork OF gold, tightly
bound with a silver wire, was another
handsome pin, and still another was q
table knife of platinum and gold, with a
small pearl imbedded in the blade. An
attractive brooch was three enameled
lilies, punched and tied with a ribbon OF
gold, and another, rather expensive one
was q dogs head of small diamonds, with
rubies for eyes. A third brooch was a
gold garden rake, in the centre Of which
was the head of q farmer, in mOonstone,
surmounted by a battered gold hat. An
other brooch, which made a magnificent
display, was made of two cr~escents, placed
about an inch and a half apart, and set
with garnets, while running through and
looped over their sides was q gold ribbon
set from end to end with diamonds.
The ends of the ribbon fall together,
and support, by q thin golden
web, two large brilliants, which scin-
tilate with the slightest movement. A new
link c%uff-button is of gold, one-halt being
a snow pole, and the other a snow-shoe.
A unique pair of earrings consisted OF
cubes of Roman gold, indented at each
side with small sapphires, and another
handsome pair represents coils OF rope in
gold. The pendant is about four inches
in circumference, while the cap for the
hook measures but an inch. A handsome
bracelet consists of a series OF twisted gold
links, and has for q back three diamond
circles in which three thirty-grain pearls
are set, while another style Is made OF
twenty golden squares, each set with four
diamonds, and forming at the front a cir
cular frame which holds an enameled pho
tograph. Solid silver is all the rage, and
appears in many attractive forms. A pretty
match box in silver is q correct representa-
ton of a large dry goods box, on the top Of
which is lying, at full length, a shaggy
Newfoundland dog, and another unique
safe is made in the form of q hollow tree,
against which an old fiddler is leaning.
Silver watch chains com in almost
endless variety, and are quite the thing.
Then there are 3 host of beautiful things to
be had, if one only has the money. Queer
Japanese pape cutters inlaid with curious
" wrought silver designs, butterflies that
borrow their beauty from the diamond
mines, spiders that are resplendent with
precious stones, crabs that are distract
ingly handsome in liveries of pearl, dragon
files that hold imprisoned sunbeanls in their
wings, and so on, without end.
Take the toy shops! What rare treas
ures they hold this year! The array is
actually bewildering to the buyer of ma
ture years, while the devout believers in
Kris Kinkle know not what to choose amid
such an embarrassment Of riches. From
sleds to building blocks, and from dolls to
locomotives, the variety of things dear to
the juvenile heart is such as 10 suit all
predictions and purses, while there is in
this, IS in other things, q very general i'm
provement in the makeup of the goods
displayed. To 90 even over q small part
of the list would take more time and space
than the writer has at his command, and